Ixiv LIFE OF WILSON. 



young hlood horse ibr another in exchange ; giving him at least as good a char- 

 acter as he deserved. lie asked twenty dollars to boot, and / thirty. We 

 parted, but I could perceive that he had taken a liking to my steed ; so I went 

 on. He followed me to the seabeach, about three miles, under pretence of 

 pointing out to me the road ; and there, on the sands, amidst the roar of the 

 Atlantic, we finally bargained ; and I found myself in possession of a large, 

 well formed and elegant sorrel horse, that ran off with me, at a canter, 

 for fifteen miles along the sea shore; and travelled the same day forty-two 

 miles, with nothing but a few mouthfuls of rice straw, which I got from a 

 negro. If you have ever seen the rushes with which carpenters sometimes 

 smooth their work, you may form some idea of the common fare of the South 

 Carolina horses. I found now that I had got a very devil before my chair; 

 the least sound of the whip made him spring half a rod at a leap; no road, 

 however long or heavy, could tame him. Two or three times he had nearly 

 broke my neck, and chair to boot; and at Georgetown ferry he threw one of 

 the boatmen into the river. But he is an excellent traveller, and for that one 

 quality I forgave him all his sins, only keeping a close rein, and a sharp look- 

 out. 



* * * * 



" I should now give you some account of Charleston, with the streets of 

 which I am as well acquainted as I was with those of New York and Boston ; 

 but I reserve that till we meet. I shall only say, that the streets cross each 

 other at right angles — are paved on the sides — have a low bed of sand in the 

 middle; and frequently are in a state fit to compare to those of Norfolk. The 

 town, however, is neat — has a gay appearance — is full of shops ; and has a 

 market-place which far surpasses those of Philadelphia for cleanliness, and is 

 an honor to' the city. Many of the buildings have two, three, and four ranges 

 of piazzas, one above another, with a great deal of gingerbread work about 

 them. The streets are crowded with negi-oes ; and their quarrels often afford 

 amusement to the passengers. In a street called Broad street, I every day see 

 a crowd of wretchedly clud blacks, huddled in a corner for sale : people hand- 

 ling them as they do black cattle. Here are female chimneysweeps; stalls 

 with roasted sweet-potatoes for sale ; and on the wharves clubs of blacks, male 

 and female, sitting round fires, amid heaps of oyster-shells, cooking their vic- 

 tuals — these seem the happiest mortals on earth. The finest groups for a comic 

 painter might every day be found here that any country can produce. 



" The ladies of Charleston are dressed with taste ; but their pale and languid 

 countenances by no means correspond with their figures. * * * * 



" To-morrow afternoon I shall set off for Savannah. I have collected one 

 hundred and twenty-five subscribers since leaving home." 



" Savannah, March 5th, 1809. 

 " Dear Sir. 



" I have now reached the ne plus ultra of my peregrinations, and shall 

 return home by the first opportunity. Whether this shall be by land or water, 

 depends on circumstances; if the former, I shall go by Augusta, where I am 

 told twelve or fifteen subscribers may be procured. These, however, would 



